Table of Contents1Individual Assignment21.1Aims of the assignm.docx

Table of Contents
1Individual Assignment2
1.1Aims of the assignment2
1.2The Assignment Topic2
1.3Resources for the Individual Assignment2
2Process and Preparation4
2.1Plan Your Essay5
2.1.1Know the Purpose of Assignments5
2.1.2Addressing the Topic5
2.2Academic reading7
2.2.1How to Incorporate Your Own Ideas8
2.2.2Producing a Draft8
2.2.3Working towards the Final Version9
2.3Referencing9
2.3.1When to cite references9
2.3.2Citing Internet sources10
2.3.3The Reference List10
3Guide to Presentation and Structure10
3.1.1Introduction10
3.1.2Body of the Essay11
3.1.3Conclusion11
3.2Assignment Checklist12
4Assessment One Marking Rubric13
Individual AssignmentAims of the assignment
The aims of this assignment are for you to:
· Develop your understanding of the nature of the key
organisational perspectives and their related theories;
· Demonstrate an understanding of the key perspectives and the
meta-theoretical assumptions that underpin each;
· Develop research skills and the ability to assess the strengths
and weaknesses of various debates and arguments;
· Demonstrate the ability to critically engage with academic
literature and develop your own answer to a set question.
· Gain skills in the written presentation of an argument,

including the ways in which scholars incorporate and
acknowledge the ideas of other writers.The Assignment Topic
The assignment topic is as follows:
Four Organizational Theory perspectives, namely Modernist,
Critical theorist, Symbolic Interpretivist and Postmodernist,
produce different narratives about technology.
Choose two Organisational Theory perspectives. Based on your
selected perspectives, identify and draw out the two readings
out of the given list that match your chosen perspectives.
Critically analyse the two readings and evaluate how their
ontological and epistemological positions result in a different
understanding and narrative of technology within organisations.
Resources for the Individual Assignment
The following are assignment resources from which you choose
four that are relevant to your chosen perspectives:
1. Selwyn, N. (2002). ‘E-stablishing’an inclusive society?
Technology, social exclusion and UK government policy
making. Journal of Social Policy, 31(01), 1-20. CRITICAL
THEORY
2. Spanos, Y. E., Prastacos, G. P., & Poulymenakou, A. (2002).
The relationship between information and communication
technologies adoption and management. Information &
Management, 39(8), 659-675. MODERNIST
3. Cukier, W., Ngwenyama, O., Bauer, R., & Middleton, C.
(2009). A critical analysis of media discourse on information
technology: preliminary results of a proposed method for
critical discourse analysis. Information Systems Journal, 19(2),
175-196. POSTMODERNIST
4. Ciborra, C. U., & Lanzara, G. F. (1994). Formative contexts
and information technology: Understanding the dynamics of
innovation in organizations.Accounting, management and
information technologies, 4(2), 61-86. SYMBOLLIC
INTERPRETIVIST
Based on your selected perspectives, choose two relevant
readings out of this list to as a starting point for your essay.
You should also use the textbook and other resources to assist

in the development of your analysis.
The suggested process for selecting your perspectives and
supporting materials is depicted as follows:
1. Based on your selected perspectives, choose two relevant
readings out of this list to as a starting point for your essay.
2. You should also use the textbook and other resources to
assist in the development of your analysis.
3. A suggested process is depicted as follows:
1. Select two from the four Organisational Theory Perspectives.
2. Critically evaluate how your two chosen perspectives
contribute a different understanding and narrative of technology
within organisations.
3. Use readings from your own research and the textbook to
form substantive arguments
Process and Preparation
Preparing for and writing assignments or extended essays are
one of the most important activities for university students.
Assignments are linked closely to course objectives and are a
major means by which your achievement of the objectives is
measured.
The following notes are provided as a general guide to reading
and writing and are addressed to students with little experience
in essay writing. If you are an experienced student you may
wish to skip over some sections; however, you should give very
careful attention to the section dealing with reference citing.
Many of the issues dealt with below are discussed more
comprehensively in books dealing with study skills. Some
useful books are:
· Murphy, E. (2007) Essay writing made simple, French Forest,
NSW: Pearson Education Australia.
· Peck, J. and Coyle, M. (2005) The student’s guide to writing:
grammar, punctuation and spelling,2nd edn. Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan.
· Redman, P. (2006) Good essay writing: a social sciences
guide, Milton Keys: Open University Press.

· Zemach, D. (2005) Academic writing: from paragraph to
writing, Oxford: Macmillan Education.Plan Your Essay
The point at which reading and notetaking ends and the
preparation of the essay proper begins is a matter for judgement
and the decision can be a fairly arbitrary one. An important
stage in this process is the preparation of an essay plan. The
first stage of developing a plan is to clarify your interpretation
of the assignment question, and to decide how you wish to
respond to it.
The way in which you set out a plan will depend on your style
of working. Whatever method you use it is important that, for a
time, you attempt to distance yourself from the material you
have collected and develop a framework within which to make
judgements about the quality of that material and select and
present the parts that are relevant to the topic. The key to
planning lies in relating the various parts of your reading and
thinking to the topic. One way to start is to outline what others
have written about the topic and you should decide at this stage
how much of their work you are going to use.
Know the Purpose of Assignments
Different assignments are focussed on different aspects of a
course and you will find that expectations vary according to
how a particular assignment relates to the course and course
objectives. Assignments are a major form of assessment in the
School of Management; they are also a way for you to organise
your learning in a unit, and to communicate that learning to
your unit teachers. It is important, therefore, to think about how
to use assignments for your own purposes, and as a form of
communication about what you are reading and thinking about
in a course.
Addressing the Topic
Make sure you read all the details relating to the topic(s) a
number of times. Read the aims of the assignment and note the
unit objective(s) it refers to as well as reading the actual topic.

The most common cause of poor essays stems from students
providing a general response to the topic and not addressing the
specific issues required. In addressing the topic, you should
demonstrate the following:
· Your ability to conduct research and use it to develop an
argument/answer that will discipline your response.
· Your ability to write a clear, compelling, well-presented and
properly referenced response to the question.
· Your ability to directly respond to all of the key issues raised
in your research
· The ability to move past description to analysis; to move past
a focus on who, what, when and how questions to also answer
the associated why questions.
· The ability to provide your own answer to the question in your
own words
Each topic will be in the form of a question to be answered or a
statement to be discussed. Implicit in any topic is that it
requires a response informed by organisational theory, even if
this is not explicitly stated. In other words, your essay should
be written in light of the readings you have been doing, not as a
statement of your opinion, or an account of ‘what everybody
knows’. Make sure you identify the ‘key words’ in the topic.
These will usually be concepts central to the topic.
· This essay is designed to develop your knowledge of the
theoretical perspectives, to build your understanding that each
perspective is underpinned by different assumptions that lead to
different ways of understanding organisations. Given their
ontological and epistemological underpinnings, each perspective
has different ways of conceptualising different aspects of
organisations. You must demonstrate your understanding of the
perspectives and how they relate to an understanding of
organisations.
· This essay has been designed to encourage you to prepare and
present your individual analysis. There is no single ‘right’
answer. Markers will be looking for evidence that you have
read broadly, including the provided material, and have

synthesised the material to develop your own answer/ argument.
The markers will also expect you to answer the question in your
own words.
· Do not try to cover every single detail; you only have 2000
words so concentrate on the major points rather than fine
details.
· Wikipedia is not a reliable source of information. We
encourage you to make use of journal articles which can be
found via a range of library databases. I suggest you use
Expanded Academic ASAP (Gale) database which is located
through the Databases section of the library website because it
allows you to search a range of journals using keywords. You
will find an enormous amount of relevant literature. You can
also do author searches which can be helpful to locate recent
articles by scholars mentioned in the textbook. We also
encourage you to make use of the references and further reading
suggested by the textbook at the end of each chapter. ‘Citation
Linker’ found through the library website is a useful tool to
locate some of the journal articles mentioned in the textbook.
There is a lot of information out there regarding the topic.
· Students are NOT allowed to use lecture notes as reference
materials.
· You should look at the assessment sheet found in the course
guide. It will give you a feel for the sorts of things we will be
assessing.
· You should also look at the other part of the course guide
which outlines the differences between the grades -i.e. what
separates a ‘D’ from a ‘CR’.
· A key point to remember in answering the questions is not to
be overly descriptive. In answering the question you will need
to develop an argument. An argument requires ‘expressing a
point of view on a subject and supporting it with evidence’. The
basic components of an argument include:
· Making a claim (informed by relevant organisational
perspectives and/or theories)
· Supporting your claim with evidence

· Recognising and engaging with counter-claimsAcademic
reading
In general, most of the reading necessary for the preparation of
a satisfactory assignment will come from the essential and
further reading set out in this course guide. Most reading is set
out in relation to the weekly topics and the specific reading for
an assignment topic builds on this. So, if you keep up with the
weekly reading, you will be preparing for each assignment at
the same time. You should ensure you have covered all the
essential reading before you consult additional material.
Reading for academic purposes is rather different from reading
for pleasure. You should expect to read most references several
times, looking for different points in each reading. The first
reading might be ‘skim reading’, that is, reading quickly to get
a sense of what is covered in a particular source and to decide
how relevant it is to your purpose. Remember to record the
author, date, title and publication details, and write a brief
summary of what the reference covers. The second reading
should be more careful, and this time you should focus on the
theoretical perspective, or the argument being presented by the
author(s). Again, write a brief summary of what you think the
reference is about, and the main points of the argument. If you
decide the reference is relevant to a particular question, such as
an assignment topic, the third reading should focus on selecting
the points that are directly relevant to the question you are
responding to.
As you read, make notes. When making notes it is important to
distinguish between direct quotation and paraphrasing. One way
to do this is to follow the convention of indicating quotations
by means of inverted commas (‘...’); other techniques might be
to use different colour pens or to divide your page into
quotations and comments.
It is important that your notes include details of author’s name,
title, publisher, place and date of publication and the page
number from which the information is taken.
During your reading you may want to refer back to your notes to

check whether you have recorded a particular point in sufficient
detail, or to see if you have distinguished between the way an
idea is handled by different authors. Some form of indexing
would assist you to do this. As the books addressed to
beginning students emphasise, there is no ‘one best’ system for
reading and note-making. You have to develop your own and
the experience of many scholars suggests that your own system
will continue to change to meet new needs and circumstances.
The main purpose of the reading phase, in preparing an
assignment, is to gain knowledge related to the topic you are
studying. Reading, therefore, will be a two-stage process: first,
read thoroughly the essential and further reading set for the
topic; second, read additional material from libraries and other
sources. If you wish to use source materials from libraries you
may need to plan ahead to allow time to obtain the material.
How to Incorporate Your Own Ideas
Students who are new to the social sciences are often perplexed
by the apparently contradictory demands from their teachers
who, on one hand, require them to ‘provide their own ideas’
and, on the other, require that an argument is supported by
‘ideas from the research and theoretical work’ of relevant social
scientists. A considerable proportion of your assignments
should be devoted to paraphrasing the latter, with a few key
ideas included through direct quotation. Summarising and
paraphrasing are preferred to quoting, because restating the
ideas in your own words gives an indication of how well you
have understood them. An essay which depends on a collection
of quotations, by contrast, demonstrates only that you can
identify the key points of an author’s argument and copy them.
As suggested above, the ideas you contribute should be centred
on the development of an argument that relates directly to the
topic and is a critical assessment of the approaches taken by
social scientists in your reading. The development of your
argument and the critical reading upon which it is based will be
influenced by ‘your own view of the social world’. This is the

likely basis for your acceptance, rejection or modification of the
ideas you gain from your reading. The factual basis for your
argument will be drawn substantially from reports and
discussion of relevant research discussed in the source material.
Many of your own views will have been gathered from various
sources in the media. These sources often make excellent
starting points for ideas that can be pursued in your reading.
Knowledge you have gained, and continue to gain, from these
sources and your own direct observation is the beginning of
your arguments.
Producing a Draft
This is the stage at which you begin to write extended prose
based on the plan you have prepared. Normally you will write
this draft in sections which correspond with the different parts
of the argument you have outlined in your plan. The
introduction and conclusion may be left until after you have
finished all the sections of the draft. A draft is usually longer
than the final version.
A draft is produced so you can revise and reorganise your
argument where necessary. After completing the draft you may
decide to reorder the sections, reduce a section, or even omit
part of your argument. Even at a draft stage it is advisable to
cite your references in some way. Reference citing is dealt with
in detail below.
In the rough draft phase you have to make decisions about how
you are going to use the work of other scholars. This is quite
normal as you will have already noticed from your reading. As
suggested above, a considerable proportion of your essay will
consist of the presentation of ideas, theory and data which you
have drawn from other scholarly work concerning the chosen
topic. Generally this knowledge should be conveyed by way of
paraphrase, although some important points may be quoted
directly. You should not copy any of your essay directly from
source material without indicating that it is a quotation.
Furthermore, all ideas, whether paraphrased or quoted, must be

acknowledged by citing appropriate references. If you do not do
this, you will have plagiarised the work of others.
Working towards the Final Version
By the time you get to finalising your draft most of the very
difficult decisions have been made. Planning and topic analysis,
the importance of note taking and the need to express ideas in
your own words have been emphasised above because academic
work of high quality is born of diligence and an attention to
detail. Despite all this advice, you should never forget that in
this course you are at the early stages of learning these skills.
The final draft should be produced from the revised version(s)
of the rough draft. This is the stage where you should give
special attention to your sentence structure, paragraphing and
spelling. Referencing
Reference citing can be one of the most difficult things for
students to grasp clearly. Many of the skills discussed above are
part of everyday life and are taught in secondary schools, but
reference citing is not generally dealt with in either of those
contexts. To provide adequate reference citing in a piece of
writing you need to give attention both to the principles
involved and the technical aspects of the system you need to
use.
The basic principle underlying the use of a system of reference
citing is that of ‘intellectual property’: authors acknowledge the
sources from which their own ideas are developed. Providing
references to a passage makes it possible for readers to follow
up the sources of the ideas discussed in that piece of writing
and, if necessary, place them in a wider context and make their
own interpretation of the sources used. As emphasised above,
all sources should be acknowledged, including those from which
quotations are taken and those which are paraphrased.
The most common means of indicating the source used in a
particular passage is to provide some form of reference in the
text adjacent to the relevant information, idea or quotation.
There are a number of different systems which will be apparent

in the books and articles you consult. You are expected to use
the Harvard referencing system as discussed in the RMIT’s
Business Referencing Guidelines located at:
https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/bus/public/referencing/index.ht
ml
When to cite references
References should be cited in the circumstances listed below:
a. When quoting directly from a reference;
b. When summarising or paraphrasing from references;
c. When making a point which has been established by research;
d. When discussing competing views or arguments;
e. When summarising a debate on a topic.
Citing Internet sources
You need to identify the source of material obtained from the
Internet as you would from a monograph or journal source. For
in-text referencing you need to identify the author and date (if
known). In your reference list the full details of the author and
date should be provided followed by the title of the article and
the URL, that is the Internet address at which the source can be
located.
The Reference List
The Reference List, located at the end of the essay, should list
alphabetically (by first author’s family name) all references
cited in the text. Do not include references which you have
read but not used together with those consulted in your
assignment preparation. The information which must be
included covers author’s name, full title, date and place of
publication, publishers name and edition, if not a first edition.
When completing your bibliography you are expected to use the
Harvard referencing system as discussed in the RMIT’s
Business Referencing Guidelines located at:
https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/bus/public/referencing/index.ht
mlGuide to Presentation and Structure

The following is a guide for writing your essay. Avoid using
headings in an essay, but if you must, please keep them to a
minimum and ensure that they enhance rather than undermine
your argument. The final draft of an essay should include the
following flow:
· Introduction, which indicates how you have interpreted the
assignment topic, and how you propose to go about responding
to it;
· Body of the essay, where you make your main points, and
support them with evidence from your reading;
· Conclusion, which should answer the question as you
interpreted it in the introduction. The conclusion should not be
a statement of your opinion: it should be a summation of the
argument you have developed in the essay;
· List of references you have used. These references should be
cited within the essay as outlined in the next section, and full
publication details are provided in the bibliography.
Introduction
In this section you must provide an overview of your answer to
the question; provide answers to the key what and why
questions of your argument/answer. These should take the form
of direct responses to the key issues raised by the question.
Your argument should be informed by a critical
analysis/engagement with the content of the essential readings.
Please keep in mind that in all sections of your response you
must move past description to analysis, this means providing
answers to the why questions that emerge from your key
statements.
Body of the Essay
In this section of the essay you need to accomplish two tasks.
First, you must explore the key perspectives showing how each
perspective’s theoretical and metatheoretical approaches lead
them to provide different insights into organisations and their
relationship to technology.

Therefore each paper, what are the ontological and
epistemological assertions that make the writing either
modernist, symbolic interpretivist, critical theory based, or
postmodern? You may think of this as identifying the
“signposts”, or “clues”, that make a paper modernist, symbolic
interpretivist, critical theory based, or postmodern.
What are the consequences of using a particular ontological and
epistemological perspective to describe Technology? Is it the
way in which technology is talked about? Is it the way
Technology is used? Is it the way Technology is analysed? How
was data collected and analysed (or interpreted)?
You can address the papers sequentially; beginning with an
exploration of the how and why of each of the chosen
perspectives (ontology and epistemology), and then an
exploration of the positions advanced by two of the perspectives
(modernist, symbolic interpretivist, critical theory and
postmodernism) in relation to how organisations and the
concept of technology is conceived, identified and written
about.
The whole response must be informed by an engagement with
essential readings. You must draw upon and evaluate academic
debates and arguments.
Conclusion
You must conclude with your general answer to the question. It
should reiterate the key argument/answer to the question
provided in the introduction and indicate to what extent it has
been supported or challenged by your analysis of the debates
and arguments of other authors. Assignment Checklist
Check these before handing in an assignment
Yes
No
Topic

Is the topic clearly identified?
Is the essay on the topic?
Content
Does the essay say what I want it to say?
Will it tell the marker what I have learned?
Arguments
Are my arguments developed logically?
Have I included evidence to support the points I make?
Source material
Have I read the required reading?
Have I included comment about each reference?
Have I summarised points correctly?

Are quotations reproduced accurately?
Have I read beyond the required reading?
Writing style: Check for these while proofreading
Is the essay easy to read?
Are words spelled correctly?
Like sounding words can be tricky. Have I chosen the right one?
Have I written in complete sentences?
Are paragraph breaks at the right place?
Referencing
Have I identified all direct quotations?
Have I identified paraphrases?
Have I cited author, date and page for each of these?

Presentation and layout
Is the print large enough to read easily?
Is the margin wide enough for comments?
Are my name and the unit details on the cover sheet?
Have I identified which topic is being attempted?
Are the pages numbered?
Is the reference list attached?
Organisational Theory
Guide to the Assignment
3
Assessment One Marking Rubric
Weight %
Criteria
Serious fail (0 29%)
Fail (30 49%)
Pass (50-59%)
Credit (60-69%)
Distinction (70-79%)
High Distinction (80-100%)

60
Argument(s)
Critical thinking, evidence, focus on relevant issues & logical
development of the essay
Lack of academic rigour, with material that is incomplete or
irrelevant. Failure to review critically, analyse, consolidate and
combine knowledge and draw relevant conclusions. Reflective
statements provide a basic description of the task with no
insight into behaviour or learning preferences for collaborative
practice.
Inadequate understanding of the subject in terms of knowledge,
skills
and application.
Little understanding of underlying principles and concepts, and
no effective analysis.
Minimal reading and inadequate planning.
The subject is covered satisfactorily but the volume of reading
is
insufficient for Credit.
Factual and descriptive rather than carefully argued and
analytical style of work. Lacks evidence of intellectual
independence to adapt
knowledge in diverse contexts. Conclusions are limited in scope
and poorly substantiated.
Broad understanding of the subject or area of practice and has
read widely.
Well-developed skills to present critical arguments and
competent use
of theoretical and technical knowledge with depth in some
areas.
Coherent arguments supported by evidence and illustration from
the work of other authorities, but without but without the self-
awareness and self-questioning found in higher grades.
Reflective statements provide a thoughtful commentary on the
task, learning and relationships with others, ability to critically

evaluate relevant theories.
Exceptional work – showing evidence of the following:
Highly original or insightful work.
Could not be improved at this learning level and in the context
in which
the assessment was conducted.
15
Structure of Essay
Appropriate introduction, paragraph & conclusion. Grasp of
English, including vocabulary, spelling grammar. Accurate
spelling, grammatical sentences, correct punctuation, fluent &
succinct writing
Does not demonstrate sufficient grasp of the required scholarly
standards in relation to presentation, with errors, bad spelling or
grammar, lack of organisation, insufficient arguments.
Poor or incoherent vocabulary. Reflective statements provide an
incomplete or inaccurate description
of the task.
Spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and communication
style is competent and coherent. Work is not well organised or
structured.
Spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and/or use of
sources, and communication style is good.
The work is clearly structured and the exposition of knowledge
and ideas is clear and competent.
Grammar and/or syntax could not be improved at this learning
level and in the context in which
the assessment was conducted.
15
Source material
Understanding, use & extent of essential & extra reading
Little evidence of knowledge of the relevant body of knowledge
to make a persuasive case. Work failed for one or more of the
following: non-submission, academic misconduct, answering a
different question from the one asked.

Reasonable coverage of the relevant body of knowledge but
does not
review critically, analyse, consolidate with a high level of
insight.
Volume of reading of sufficient breadth and depth for a
competent
understanding of main issues, underlying principles and
concepts but
without the comprehensiveness of higher grades.
Displays competence in reviewing critically, analysing,
consolidating and synthesising the various cases made within a
body of knowledge.
Material is deployed in a disciplined way with sophisticated
comprehension of key issues.
Evidence of formulated and sustained arguments with
sophisticated
analysis, inferences, synthesis of material and identifying flaws
in
published work.
10
Referencing and Presentation
Correct, consistent citation & bibliographic format, wide
margins, 1.5 or double spacing, numbered pages and a word
count.
Improper citation of sources and referencing of work.
No evidence of correct scholarly referencing.
Only minor lapses in referencing and/or use of sources.
Work is fully referenced according to accepted scholarly
standards.
Work is referenced to a high level of academic integrity.
Referencing could not be improved at this learning level and in
the context in which the assessment was conducted.

STRATEGY AND POSITIONING PAPER
1
STRATEGY AND POSITIONING PAPER
2Strategy and PositioningGabriela Ibanez-Piedra, Helen
Berger, Shante Brown, Stacy McDonaldMKT/ 421
February 29, 2016
Gary Crum
Strategy and Positioning
Slim-Away marketers have been carefully hatching a marketing
plan. The marketing plan presented here helps capture
information required to develop and deliver Slim-Away and the
results that best meet the needs of our chosen target market
while communicating to our audience why and how our offering
is the best alternative in the marketplace. By following along
our marketing plan we hope to set a well-constructed, clear and
measurable objective for our product and organization and
weight loss with higher energy needs in our target market.
Overview of Organization
Slim-Away is the newest variant of 2016 for Coca- Cola. This
product is the first to combine the taste of Coca-Cola with
Monster-drink energy (zero calories, no sugar, and a lot of
caffeine) with the nutrition of slim fasts protein and daily fiber.
Slim-Away will be available launching next month in every
supermarket across America. The first product for Coca-Cola to
target those that are energy depleted and need to lose weight.
The combination of caffeine- sugar to help with fatigue and
sleepiness and 20% protein and 100% fiber is keeping in steps
with consumer demand. A drink a day will help curb appetite
while providing daily nutrition. Coca-Cola and Slim-Away’s

new formulation are comparable to current market price for a
can of 12 oz coke.
Description of Product/Service
Ever wonder if there was a way to get energy while losing
weight? If so, the new drink Slim-Away may be the drink for
you. Slim-Away is a new drink that is being introduced by
Coca-Cola. It is a combination of an energy drink and weight
loss drink. This product will give people the boost of energy
that they may need or want all the while losing weight. It will
be like a combination of a Monster and Slim Fast. The product
will contain caffeine along with vitamins that help aid with
energy and weight loss. There will also be different flavors of
Slim-Away available to appeal to a variety of customers. Along
with the drink there will be an interactive website to support
people in their weight loss. The website will have an area that
has different exercises that can be done and tips on how to be
more active. There would be a place for you to keep track of
your activity and weight loss. There will be inspirational
messages that pop up when you log in and congratulation
messages whenever you record a weight loss. Everyone likes to
be recognized for their accomplishments. When trying to lose
weight having support of other people going through the same
issues is always a good thing to have. The website would have a
place where people can communicate with other people about
their process. They would be able to share their setbacks and
their successes along with any tips that they have found that
worked well. Along with having examples of exercises that can
be done there would also be a weekly exercise video that people
would be able to download to any of their devices. There will be
three different levels to the exercise videos easy, intermediate,
and aggressive. The different levels will help people to stay
engaged at varying needs, depending on the lifestyle and needs
of the individual consumer.

SWOT and competitive analysis
Coca-Cola’s SWOT analysis for its energy weight loss drink
consists on a list of the company’s strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats. In addition, the firm must evaluate
its competitive environment, which can be done using Porter’s
five competitive forces. This analysis assumes there are five
forces that determine a company’s power in a business situation
(Investopedia, 2014).
The strengths and weaknesses of Coca-Cola are very easy to
determine. Coca-Cola is an already established firm with an
international presence. It has one direct competition, which is
Pepsi, and other smaller competitors. However, for the energy
weight loss drink, its main competitors are RedBull, Monster, 5
Hour Energy, SlimFast, and Nutrisystem. Although there would
be many competitors for this type of products, the uniqueness of
the energy drink combined with losing weight, and the name-
brand, Coca-Cola, can give the company a competitive
advantage with this new line. A weakness in its strategy could
be that people usually look for specific brands, such as Red
Bull, for energy drinks, and SlimFast for rapid weight loss, not
thinking of both products together.
Opportunities and threats emerge from an examination of
customers, competition and the external market environment.
Coca-Cola sees people with busy work schedules who don’t
have time to exercise or follow a diet plan. Overweight, or
unhealthy people with busy lives that tire half-way through the
day is the market who needs Slim-Away. This market is the
target market, people who desire energy and improved health.
Their energy weight loss drink targets this type of people, who
are tired and need more energy to keep up with their day, and
also who are too busy to follow a diet or exercise routine. In
addition, Coca-Cola must try to avoid threats. One of the main
dangers the company faces with this new product is obtaining
the Food and Drug Administration’s approval. They must ensure

their product is safe and keep informed of any development or
ingredient that has been recalled or disapproved. Furthermore,
threats include other companies developing similar products.
For Slim-Away to begin, and remain a successful product,
continuing research, and the introduction of different products
will help maintain the product’s “one of a kind” status.
Using the Five Forces competitive analysis, Coca-Cola can
determine the power of the supplier and buyer, as well as any
threat of substitution, or new product entry, which can be
brought together to determine its competitive rivalry. The
suppliers of the ingredients needed for an energy drink and
weight loss product are limited. Giving Coca-Cola suppliers
power which can lead to rising prices paid for those ingredients,
in turn, raising the final price of the product. The buyers, on the
other hand, don’t have much power because the companies that
produce similar products work as an oligopoly. One threat
Coca-Cola faces is product substitution designed by
competitors. If a person only needs an energy drink, it is
probable that they will buy a 5-Hour energy drink or a Red Bull
energy drink, rather than Coca-Cola’s weight loss energy drink.
One threat Coco-Cola may not have to fear is the entry of a new
company. The time it takes to produce, test, and obtain the
FDA’s approval can make entering the market very costly and
difficult. Finally, analyzing rivals, Coca-Cola has tremendous
strength because there aren’t many other companies with similar
products, especially one that combines two in one.
Strengths (Internal)
Weaknesses (Internal)
· Strong brand identity
· Markets to over 200 countries worldwide.
· Large scale community involvement
· Consumer loyalty
· Negative publicity on the topic of energy/ weight loss drinks.
· Strict focus on carbonated drinks

· Exclusive competitor contracts with major retailers
Opportunities (External)
Threats (External)
· Expanding and emerging market place
· Launch of different flavor offerings
· Flexible product for different target markets and needs
· Wide price range in weight loss/ energy drink market
· Highly competitive in both the weight loss and energy drink
markets (Slim fast, Celsius, Red Bull, Monster)
· Government regulations
· Increased consumer awareness of side effects of energy drinks
· Cheaper brands of similar products
.
In a world where the ultimate goal is to acquire and maintain a
sexy body, everyone is looking for a way of removing excess
fat. Burning fat does not only serve the purpose of physical
appearance, but also that of good health. A healthy weight is
critical in order for one to evade conditions which can lead to
stroke, heart attack, or even diabetes. While there are several
ways that people employ to reduce weight, such as fad diets
which some people are able to follow, and two step plan which
involves eating healthy and exercising regularly, the Slim-Away
drink can ease the process of eliminating the annoying body fat.
Coca Cola Company is known globally for production and sales
of soft fizzy drinks. Therefore, the new product in the market
will have an already established market structure and customer
base. Also, with the ability to penetrate to almost every corner
of the world, Coca Cola Company already has a customer base
and identified the locations where the drink will experience the
best sales (Taylor, 2000). Finally, the new drink is likely to
have an upper hand in terms of sales once introduced into the
market because of its rare combination. This is because

consumers will not have to buy more than one drink in order to
have the rare combination of Slim-Away of giving energy and
burning of fat.
Current company’s strengths and weaknesses
Potential Competitor’s strengths and weaknesses
Competitive Rival’s strengths and weaknesses
Target Market
16-34
16- 54
Students/Working Middle Age
Product
‘Slim-Away’
Slim Fast/ Monster
Replacement meals support drinks
Place
North/ Latin America
North/ Latin America
Sold worldwide
Promotion
Massive Campaign Launch-TV, Print, Social Media
Special offers/ Product features
Not fresh enough to compete with hype of new competitor.
Price
$3.00
$2.00/ $1.62
Price is more if consumer drinks both separately.
Competitive Barriers
FDA Approval
Similar products in development
Consumer loyalty
Likely responses
Curiosity
Established
Longer market research/data.

Target Market Segments
The target market for Coca-Cola’s new product, ‘Slim-Away’
will focus on specific segments of their already established
wide range of consumers. These focuses will be specifically
related to geographic, demographic, and also psychographic
segments. The best established target market for ‘Slim-Away’
will be middle class consumers in North and Latin America who
are in the age range of 16-34 years old.
Demographic
Demographics are a large base of how Coca-Cola determines
their target market. Consumer age, gender, education, religion,
and nationality are some of the main groups of consumer
demographics. The already established core demographic of
Coca-Cola is based on age and economic standing. Teenager/
young adults in the middle class make up the majority of Coca-
Cola’s consumer base. This already established core
demographic shares the same target as the successful energy and
weight loss drink companies. “34% of 18 to 24-y-olds self-
identify as being regular energy drink users.” (Gaille, 2015) As
the age demographic for weight loss and energy drinks expands
from teens and young adults to consumers in their 40’s, Coca-
Cola can target ‘Slim-Away’ to a larger demographic as its
popularity increases.
Psychographic
Psychographic segments of a target market include lifestyle,
personality, and personal values. Because of its vast marketing
strategies, Coca-Cola has a way to reach and market to the vast
types of consumers they have acquired. Coca-Cola’s already
wide-range of drinks already connects them with their different
consumers. Now those health conscious consumers, who may
have avoided the brand due to their sugary drinks, are now

being targeted by Coca-Cola with their new product ‘Slim-
Away.’
Geographic
As a country-wide popular product, Coca-Cola has proven to be
successful in numerous Countries. “Although the U.S.
represents 19 percent of the company’s worldwide unit case
volume, Coca-Cola is selling most of its soda overseas.” (Wong,
2014) To be more specific, Latin Americans are becoming the
growing demographic of Coca- Cola consumers. According to
the market analysis report of the energy drinks Market in Latin
America, “The energy drinks market in Latin America will grow
at a CAGR of 11.34%, in terms of revenue, over the period
2015-2019.” (2015)With these statistics, it would be beneficial
for Coca-Cola to have a target market of consumers in both
Latin and North America. The brand loyalty for Coca-Cole as
well as the growing popularity of drinks similar to “Slim-Away”
would make for a successful geographic marketing target.
Behavioral Factors
The biggest push effecting behavioral factors of consumers of
‘Slim-Away’ will consist of benefits of the new product and
curiosity. The benefits of weight loss and increased energy from
a trusted brand will incise not only already existing consumers
of Coca-Cola brands, but also new consumers who may have
avoided the brand in the past.
Positioning Statement
Whether a Pepsi drinker or Coca-Cola drinker, brand loyalty
among consumers of these two competitors is common. The
Coca-Cola customers will pay a premium for their favorite
product because they crave that refreshing taste the competition
just cannot deliver. According to Perreault, Cannon &
McCarthy, “a well-recognized brand makes shopping easier.”
Because Slim-Away is a product that Coca-Cola plans to build
an entire product line from, in order for the brand name to

become popular, positioning will be in line with current adult
Coca-Cola customers with a price-point similar to current
energy drink and weight loss products available in the combined
market. Slim-Away is a completely new product, marketing with
similar products in the beginning is the appropriate for the
product to gain popularity and recognition.
According to our research, Coca-Cola customers will invest in
Coca-Cola Slim-Away rather than the multiple product offerings
because Coca-Cola has always delivered a quality product. In
order for customers to become familiar with Slim-Away,
samples will be available at every sales counter where the
product is sold for the first 90 days. Depending on the vendor,
samples will range in price from 49-99 cents each. Coca-Cola
has proven the ability to “connect a product with the benefits a
customer can expect” (Perreault, Cannon & McCarthy, 2014).
The adult Coca-Cola customer base from 18-45 is vast, making
it necessary for a variety of advertising methods. Marketing
will encompass the young professional trying to stay ahead of
the game, the mom who is struggling to lose that last bit of baby
weight, and the younger parents struggling to maintain or maybe
lose a little weight while balancing work, family, and social
lives. At first glance, you may not see many similarities in these
groups, but all of them are struggling to meet the demands of
everyday life. Many people seem to have everything under
control but what is underneath, might surprise others. Each of
them struggles every day to manage their demanding work/life
balance. Each has demands that far outweigh the amount of
current time and energy available. How will they squeeze one
more activity into their hectic day? How will they grab lunch
on the go without gaining more weight or raising dangerous
cholesterol levels even higher? Slim-Away plans to begin with a
drink to aid with energy and lack of nutrition but in time, plans
for a food product line in the future will also be available for
people to maintain a healthier lifestyle. The previously
described, diverse customer base is in need of a product that

will provide that desperately needed, healthy, boost of energy,
lunch on the go without the dreaded five pounds (around the
waste fast food is notorious for) from a name brand they have
grown up with and trust. A name brand they can trust and rely
on.
What makes us different from our competition? Coca-Cola is a
strong brand with a very loyal customer base. This strength has
endured for over 100 years making Coca-Cola multi-
generationally recognized (Coca-Cola, 2014). The weight loss
and energy drink industry is viewed as a fad but with Americans
growing by the day, the weight loss industry is here to stay.
Several companies in the past have claimed to have an answer
to energy drain, these companies also claimed products would
Slim-Away fat but failed to do so. Customers spend their
money on these fad products with little results and utter
disappointment. Our customers know Coca-Cola as “The Real
Thing.” We have established reliability and trust with our
customer base. The claim made by Slim-Away is health. The
Slim-Away product combined with its healthy program designed
to accompany the product will gain notoriety together. Coca-
Cola will not make an empty promise, and the product will not
make consumers healthy alone. Slim-Away is a weight loss aid
not a weight loss miracle and advertising will maintain an
honest approach when advertising the product. Consumers take
a gamble with the next new weight loss and energy drink every
day, why not take that leap of faith with a company that has
already earned the trust of the American consumer?
Conclusion
Introducing yet another weight loss product into society is
risky, but is a risk that this marketing team feels will lead to a
new successful product line intended to direct Americans to a
healthier way of life. Slim-Away is not the average energy shot.
It is a nutritional supplement designed to help boost energy
levels, as well as, aid in learning to live a healthier life.

Dropping pounds fast, miracle diets, and magic pills produced
by a multitude of companies have failed consumers. Not many
weight loss products have proven successful because the
impression given to consumers is not directed truthfully. Weight
loss is not something that happens overnight or without effort
and Coca-Cola will not make that promise. Slim-Away may
provide a nutritional meal supplement if its program is not
followed but will not provide weight loss without the program.
False promises will not do America any good while battling the
obesity epidemic, only honesty with products that work when
used as directed. If Slim-Away is received and used as test
markets have shown, obesity will lose, and healthy consumers
will win in the end.
References
Cannon, J., MacCathy, J. & Perreault, W. (2014). Basic
Marketing. A Marketing Strategy Planning Approach. Retrieved
from the University of Phoenix eBook collection
Coca-Cola Journey. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.coca-
colacompany.com/our-
company/infographic-coca-cola-at-a-glance.
Energy Drinks Market in Latin America - Market Analysis
Report 2015-2019. (2015). Retrieved from
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zszb4r/energy_dri
nks
Gaille, B. (2015). 47 Fantastic Energy Drink
Demographics. Retrieved from
http://brandongaille.com/47-fantastic-energy-drink-
demographics/
Investopedia (2014). Porter’s 5 Forces. Retrieved from
http://www.investopedia.com
Taylor, M. (2000). Cultural variance as a challenge to global
public relations: A case study of the Coca-Cola scare in Europe.
Public Relations Review, 26(3), 277-293.
Willett, W. (2011). Eat, drink, and be healthy: the Harvard

Medical School guide to healthy eating. Simon and Schuster.
Wong, Venessa. (2014, April). Four Reasons Why Coca-Cola
Will Stick to Sweet Sodas. Bloomberg Business, (), .
Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-04-
10/four-reasons-why-coca-cola-will-stick-to-sweet-sodas

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